Revolutionary Command Council

The Revolutionary Command Council was the decision-making body of Ba'athist Iraq established after the 17 July Revolution by Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr in 1968. The RCC was led by a Chairman and Vice Chairman chosen by a two-thirds majority in the council, with the Chairman being elected President of Iraq; Saddam Hussein was therefore its leader from 1979 until its 2003 disestablishment. The RCC was led by Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri during that period, while Saddam exercised his powers as dictator of Iraq. It was dissolved on the orders of the United States occupation authorities in 2003 during the Iraq War, and the new government of Iraq formed a parliament to replace the RCC.